


and i feel agni in this teashop tonight

by TheAndromedaRecord



Series: The Zukka Shitpost Records [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Mistaken Identity, The Jasmine Dragon, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, angstier than i initially planned, basically sokka goes to the jasmine dragon and recognizes zuko, but zuko doesn't recognize him, matchmaker toph, smart sokka rights, sokka is playing 4d chess in what zuko thinks is a go fish game, theyre all child soldiers your honor, zuko's fucking faceblind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:27:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25389022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAndromedaRecord/pseuds/TheAndromedaRecord
Summary: Before Toph leaves to see her mother, she decides to take Sokka to her favorite tea shop in Ba Sing Se, the Jasmine Dragon.Sokka recognizes the tea server and nearly has a heart attack. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), Toph mistakes his elevated heart rate for attraction and insists on setting him and the server up on a date.In Sokka's opinion, it could be worse. A date is as good an opportunity as any to get some intel from Zuko.
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Sokka & Zuko, Toph Beifong & Zuko
Series: The Zukka Shitpost Records [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817854
Comments: 146
Kudos: 1373





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> not based on any particular shitpost. the whole "sokka goes to the jasmine dragon and Zukka happens" is a whole GENRE of posts

“You’re gonna love this place,” Toph told Sokka as they walked up to the doors of the Jasmine Dragon. “I love it, and I’ve got excellent taste.”

They entered, and Sokka let out a little gasp. The Jasmine Dragon was beautiful yet cozy, without any of the arrogant gaudiness that characterized the upper ring. The setting sun filled the earth-toned interior with fiery light. It smelled amazing. He could certainly see why most of the tables were filled with chattering and content customers. Toph led him confidently to an empty table in the corner.

“I always sit here,” she told him. “Li or Mushi should be by soon.”

“Mushi’s the old man you met when you ran away from us, right?”

“Yeah. He’s pretty great. Old, but he’s not like, annoying about it.” She bumped him on the shoulder. “You could do with some of his wisdom.”

“Hey! I’m wise!” Sokka protested.

He relaxed into his chair. It was quite comfortable. He missed home, but he had to admit, assimilating into Earth Kingdom society was kind of fun. He’d gone shopping and bought plenty of Earth Kingdom clothes to wear on outings like this, and he’d even let his hair out of its ponytail. No use in a warrior’s wolftail when there was no one to fight. The Dai Li were taken care of, and he could just relax in a tea shop with a friend before she left to see her parents.

“I’m glad you’re making friends,” Sokka told her.

Toph bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That I’m glad you’re making friends!”

Toph crossed her arms. “I guess they are pretty cool. I think you and Li will get along great. Apparently he’s skilled with Dao broadswords.” She smirked. “Maybe he can show you a thing or two about fighting.”

“I can fight just fine! I’m not taking combat lessons from a tea server.”

“Or maybe you’ll just think he’s hot.”

“I—wh—sounds like you’re the one who thinks he’s hot!”

Toph waved her hands in front of her face. Sokka rolled his eyes.

“I regret ever coming out,” he said.

“No, you don’t.”

“No, I don’t.”

Toph perked up. “Hey, I can hear him coming!”

“Hi, Toph,” said an unfortunately familiar voice from behind Sokka.

Sokka turned in his chair and nearly choked. Zuko—Prince Goddamn Zuko—stared back at him, seemingly unaffected.

“Who’s your friend?” Zuko asked.

“Li, this is Sokka. Sokka, Li.”

“Nice to meet you,” Zuko said awkwardly.

He looked weirdly calm. Sokka wondered if he’d been brainwashed.

“Your hair looks good,” Sokka blurted, then immediately winced.

It sounded way too much like flirting. Really, it was just that anything was better than that awful ponytail. He must have been growing his hair out since the North Pole. Sokka had noticed his hair when they’d had encounters since then, of course, but it hadn’t exactly been his top priority.

“Oh. Um. Thanks,” Zuko replied. “So…you’re Toph’s friend.”

Tui and La, was this guy always so awkward when he wasn’t trying to kill them? Sokka narrowed his eyes. Why hadn’t Zuko made a move? Probably because they were in public. Or…

Sokka looked down at himself, at the green Earth Kingdom clothes he wore. Zuko had only ever seen him in water tribe clothes, in combat, with his hair up. So Zuko didn’t recognize him. Probably hadn’t even ever known his name. Which meant Sokka had the upper hand. He had to figure this out. Why was Zuko in Ba Sing Se? Had he followed them here? If so, why hadn’t he acted? Or…or maybe he had a bigger goal. Maybe he had infiltrated Ba Sing Se to bring it down from the inside out. But he didn’t have an army. Just a ship. How could he hope to stage a coup? Whatever his plan was, Sokka realized it must be devious and complex for Zuko to turn his back on his reckless tactics.

“Sure am,” Sokka said blandly. “Just like you, apparently.”

He risked a glance at Toph, who was grinning smugly. He had no way to signal the truth to her, and even if he did, he couldn’t trust that she wouldn’t blow the element of surprise. She’d done a lot of boasting that, if she’d been with them at the start of their journey, she would have mopped the floor with Zuko. Maybe she’d take the opportunity to prove it. As much as Sokka wanted to fight Zuko or call the authorities, there was no doubt something more going on here. He had to figure out Zuko’s plan.

“C’mon, teapot,” Toph cajoled. “Sit down with us.”

“I’ll get you some tea first,” Zuko said. His face was a little red.

“I’ll have my usual,” Toph said confidently.

“What’s your favorite?” Sokka asked him.

Zuko’s eyes lit up—not like fire, but like a firefly. “My uncle makes the best jasmine. It’s his best. That’s why we called the store, um. You know.”

It seemed bafflingly genuine. Sokka couldn’t help but notice he hadn’t actually picked a favorite, just commented on his uncle. So he trusted his uncle’s judgement. They had to discern the uncle’s motives, then.

“I’ll take a cup of that,” Sokka told him. Zuko nodded and walked away.

As soon as Zuko left, Sokka turned to Toph, leaning in close over the table. She smirked at him.

“Someone’s got a crush!” she sang.

Sokka blinked at her. “What are you talking about?”

“I felt your heartbeat pick up like a rabbit-shrew as soon as he walked up.”

Sokka huffed. “That wasn’t a crush, Toph.”

“Well, then, what was it?”

He couldn’t let her know. She might do something reckless, and they didn’t know what kind of resources Zuko had at his disposal.

“It was—shut up, okay? Forget it.”

“There’s a small market festival a few streets down tonight. Perfect for a date.”

“Toph. Stop it.”

“He likes you too, you know,” Toph informed him. “His heart rate picked up, too.”

Had Zuko recognized him? Not likely. There was no way the reckless fire-breathing prince was better at keeping a straight face than Sokka. So that left Toph’s hypothesis.

Zuko returned with the tea. He barely met Sokka’s eyes as he passed out the two cups of tea. The jasmine indeed smelled delicious. Sokka wondered if the tea was heated with fire bending.

“You said you’d sit down with us,” Toph told him.

Zuko sighed and pulled up a chair. “You know I’m working, right?”

“For another fifteen minutes, yeah.” Toph grinned. “Once you’re out, how about you let Sokka take you to the market festival?”

Sokka choked on his tea and kicked Toph in the shin under the table. She clearly thought he was just too shy to ask him out or something. He glanced at Zuko, who had turned the approximate color of his fire.

“C’mon,” Toph cajoled. “I know you want to. I can feel your heartbeat.”

Zuko stood up so fast he knocked the chair over. “I have to help Uncle,” he said, making a very quick exit.

“Toph!” Sokka hissed.

“What? You were too chickenshit to ask him out, so I did it for you.”

“I was not chickenshit! I’ll have you know, I am very good at asking people out on dates when I want to. I even asked a princess out once.”

Ironic, how often he seemed to court royalty.

“Sokka,” Toph whined. “You like each other and you both need to get out more.”

“I get out plenty!”

“Okay, maybe you don’t. But he does. And I know you’ve been bored recently.”

Sokka looked around. Zuko was diligently attending to a table on the other side of the tea shop. He was extremely pale. Maybe he did need to get out more, but that wasn’t Sokka’s problem.

“Why are you being such a wet blanket?” Toph complained. “Just take him on a date! For me.”

“How is this a favor to you?”

“He’s my friend, and he’s lonely. He’s super nice, I promise!”

“Fine,” Sokka groaned. “If he agrees, I’ll go on a date with him.”

Come to think of it, this could be a golden opportunity. A whole hour or two to gather intel on their enemy. Maybe he could find out what his plan was, who his allies were.

“That’s the spirit.” Toph stood up and, before Sokka could say anything, marched over to Zuko.

Sokka took a deep breath. He was a warrior. He was a friend of the Avatar. He could handle a little subterfuge.

As they talked, an old man walked up to the table. Sokka recognized him, of course. He had been there at the oasis. He had tried to stop Zhao from killing Tui. He had been there when Yue died.

“You must be Mushi,” Sokka said. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sokka. I’m a friend of Toph’s.”

Mushi—definitely not his real name, but Sokka didn’t know what else to call him—smiled.

“Any friend of Toph’s is a friend of mine.”

“This is a really great place,” Sokka commented.

“I’m glad you think so. This shop has brought great joy to many, and for that I am proud.”

Something about Mushi put Sokka at ease. He fought that feeling. Temporary alliance in the Northern Water Tribe notwithstanding, he was Fire Nation and Zuko’s uncle. At least Sokka assumed he was Zuko’s uncle. Maybe it was a cover.

“So, how long have you and your nephew been in the city?” Sokka asked.

“Only a few months. We’re starting a new life.” Mushi grinned, and Sokka caught himself smiling with him.

Was Mushi telling the truth? No, no, of course not. There was no way Prince Zuko would retire from his Avatar hunt to work at a tea shop.

“Seems like you’ve done pretty well for yourselves.”

“We’ve had great fortune. I am very lucky to have such skill with tea and such an amazing nephew.”

“Hey, Mushi!” Toph strode up to him. “Sokka wants to take Li on a date to the Chin Street market festival. Can you convince Li to let him? He’s being shy again.”

Shy? Prince Zuko? Sokka nearly laughed. Mushi chuckled.

“Sokka seems like a nice young man. I’ll talk to my nephew. He can be a bit nervous about dates. ”

The implication that Zuko had been on a date before also nearly made Sokka laugh. Who would go on a date with this guy? Well, apparently Sokka, but that didn’t count. It was for strategic purposes and strategic purposes only. Okay, and maybe it was also an excuse to go to a fun festival and maybe do some shopping at one of Ba Sing Se’s outdoor markets. But mostly strategic purposes.

“Let him go early!” Toph told him.

Mushi laughed. “I told him to stop working two hours ago.” He shook his head fondly. “I guess he really loves tea!”

Toph pushed Mushi in the direction of Zuko. “Talk to him! Li needs a date, Mushi!”

“I’m going, I’m going!”

Sokka wondered what kind of date it would be. Fortunately, Zuko probably wasn’t the type to expect a lot of physical affection. With this kind of opulent tea shop, though, maybe he had the disposable income to buy Sokka some nice things. Scamming a Fire Prince out of his money seemed like a nice evening.

Mushi practically dragged Zuko back to the table.

“You two have fun at the market!” he said cheerily.

Zuko looked extremely long-suffering. Sokka stood up and took his arm.

“There’s a place that has some really good kebabs,” he said, with just the tiniest amount of wicked glee. “We could start there.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka and Zuko go on a date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic ended up...a lot sadder and more serious than I intended, but I'm happy with it!

Zuko looked relieved to take Sokka’s lead. Perhaps Zuko didn’t like taking initiative on activities outside of his comfort zone. Running a tea shop without running after and yelling at anyone seemed to be definitely outside of his comfort zone, so he had to be following someone’s lead. Mushi’s, most likely.

“So,” Sokka asked, “what’s your uncle like?”

“He’s…he’s fine. He’s a good man.”

“Good at tea?”

Zuko shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. It all tastes the same to me.”

Sokka forced his shoulders to relax as they walked towards Chin Street. His body was full of tension, ready to spring into action and fight at any moment. His hair brushed distractingly along his chin. He didn’t let go of Zuko’s arm, partly to keep up the facade, partly so Zuko couldn’t spring into a fire bending kata.

“Your uncle says you’ve been in Ba Sing Se for a few months,” Sokka said. “You’ll have to tell me all about it. We’ve only been here a few weeks.”

“It’s…it’s fine,” Zuko replied. “I haven’t done much exploring. I’ve mostly been making tea. You know, at the tea shop.”

Sokka recalled some of his painfully awkward date conversations with Yue. This was just like old times.

“I thought it all tasted the same to you.”

Zuko sighed. “I’m trying to get better at making it. I don’t really care about tea, but my uncle does. It’s important to him, and I want to help him. It’s his dream to run his own tea shop.”

It was physically painful for Sokka to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. Instead, he said “that’s sweet of you.” But he wanted desperately to roll his eyes.

What the hell was Zuko’s game here?

They’d last seen him in that abandoned village, fighting the princess. She was all decked out in official Fire Nation armor, while he looked like a fugitive. Was it possible that they’d broken with the Fire Nation? He was definitely still after the Avatar, though, judging from Aang’s recollection of their fight.

Even if he wasn’t Fire Nation, he was definitely still an enemy. But maybe he wasn’t actively chasing them anymore. By the sound of it, they’d been in Ba Sing Se for longer than team Avatar.

They turned a corner and reached the market. The street was strung with lights that cast a golden glow over the paving stones and turned Zuko’s eyes to liquid metal. Stalls filled with food and games were crammed into every bit of available pavement. The perfect spot for a date. If only Sokka were here with someone he actually liked.

“So, um,” Zuko said. “You mentioned kebabs?”

“Right!” Sokka led Zuko through the crowds to a unassuming store set between a luxury perfume shop and a tea shop that had been getting steadily less business since the opening of the Jasmine Dragon. “This place is great. They’ve even got seal meat!”

They had to force their way through a few people to get to the door, and it was still pretty crowded inside. Sokka muscled them up to the counter.

“Seal kebab please,” Sokka demanded.

“I’ll have, uhhh…” Zuko looked more overwhelmed than he ever did fighting team Avatar. Ordinarily, Sokka would be insulted at coming second place to some grilled meat, but these were some pretty good kebabs.

“Mixed spiced meat kebab?” Sokka suggested.

Zuko nodded, clearly immensely relieved. “Yes. That, please.”

The stoic server simply stuck a hand out. Before Sokka could so much as reach for his coin purse, Zuko deposited two copper pieces in the outstretched palm. Sokka cheered internally and wondered how much stuff he could get Zuko to buy for him.

They waited for their kebabs by the wall, surrounded by people and yet somehow feeling alone.Sokka found himself itching for a weapon to wrap his hands around. He knew Zuko wouldn’t try anything here, surrounded by so many people. But Sokka had never been able to trust other people to protect him.

They got their kebabs and left. Zuko bit into his, and his expression barely changed. Sokka mentally cursed Zuko for being here and distracting him from his delicious kebab.

“This is good,” Zuko said. “I like it.”

“Oh? I’m glad.”

Maybe Zuko would choke on it and die and solve their problems.

“So,” Sokka asked as they ate their kebabs and strolled through the crowded market, “where did you guys live before coming to Ba Sing Se.”

“Uh. We travelled with a circus.” Zuko winced. “I did. Sword stuff?”

“Oh yeah, Toph mentioned you’re good with broadswords. Maybe you can show me some moves.”

If Zuko really did have combat skills besides firebending, Sokka wanted to get a sense for them. Who knew when he’d need to face off against Zuko’s swords?

“Er, maybe.”

They ended up sitting down in a little outdoor seating area under a pavilion. The moon wass out, and her light mingled with the streetlights to cast Zuko in an unfairly beautiful glow. Sokka tried to angle himself so he’s a bit out of the light. If Zuko figured out who he was, Sokka might be fighting for his life.

“You got any plans while you’re in the city, or just serving tea?”

Zuko looked down at his hands.

“Serving tea,” he answered shortly. “I…I don’t really have anything else to do. I don’t know what I want to do with my life.”

If Zuko really was on the run from the Fire Nation, of course he’d come to Ba Sing Se. But if he wanted to be an ally, he would have sought them out.

If Sokka were Aang, he probably would have taken Zuko at his word and assumed he was just some lost kid, unsure of his destiny. But Sokka wasn’t Aang, and he knew better. Zuko had chased them across the world. He wasn’t gonna have a crisis of faith now. He was probably just regrouping while he found a way to get back in the Fire Nation’s good graces by capturing Aang. So he wasn’t an active threat, but they’d probably have to deal with him before the invasion.

“But, yeah,” Zuko continues. “I guess I’m just serving tea for, uh, for the time being.”

He didn’t seem like he was lying. Zuko wouldn’t meet his eyes, but that was just a Zuko thing.

“What do you do for fun?” Zuko asked, his tone as if he were reading off a script.

The question gave him pause. He only really played games that Aang dragged him into. He liked his boomerang and club well enough, but he fought for survival, not fun. His last vacation was to find a way to invade the Fire Nation and they barely made it out alive. He’d been dabbling in art, but only for its usefulness.

He never had the luxury of fun growing up, not since his dad left. Children of war didn’t get recreation.

“Oh, you know,” Sokka laughed. “I love to try all sorts of things! Like…swimming! And eating meat!”

He neglected to mention that he was only good at swimming for survival reasons. Until the invasion was successfully completed and the war was over, all of Sokka’s hobbies were for survival reasons.

What would it mean, to live in a world without war? Perhaps Sokka should be scared of what his life would be if the invasion succeeded.

Zuko’s eyes flicked up. “Oh, I swim too. I don’t like it, but I’m good at it.”

Maybe that had something to do with how Zuko ended up in the North Pole. At least they shared an interest.

“So, you and Toph live together?” Zuko asked.

“Yeah, us and a few friends are traveling together.”

“Travellers, huh? Just like us.”

“Yeah, just like you.”

Zuko sat stock-still, at attention like he was a soldier and Sokka his general. Without the option of talking about their role in the war, neither of them really had anything to say. Did Zuko have anything outside of conflict?

Did Sokka?

Sokka gazed at him across the table, and for a moment saw Zuko through Aang’s eyes. He couldn’t be much older than Sokka.

They were both children, fighting the battles of adults. The only difference was that Zuko was on the wrong side.

“If you could do anything,” Sokka asked, “anything at all with your life, what would you do?”

Zuko didn’t answer right away, but Sokka could wager a guess at what he was thinking. Capture the Avatar. Be the hero of the Fire Nation. Crush the Earth Kingdom beneath his heel.

“I don’t know,” Zuko replied, his voice impossibly small for a lie.

“Be the Firelord?” Sokka asked cheekily, and Zuko predictably startled in his seat. He pouted a little and polished off his kebab.

“Probably best to not mention the Firelord here,” he said.

Sokka waved a hand. “Chill out, man! So, how did you like your kebab?”

“It was good. Thank you.” Even his thanks sounded incredibly awkward. “And, for your information, I think it would be nice to be the Firelord.”

Sokka almost suggested a walk by the river, but then he remembered Yue and his mouth tasted sour. No, he wouldn’t taint the river with Zuko’s presence.

“Wanna look at some shops? It’s been ages since I’ve been shopping.”

Zuko looked at him with an expression Sokka couldn’t quite identify. It seemed almost like…admiration. Or maybe even a crush.

Sooner or later, Zuko would realize they were on opposite sides of this war, and Sokka hated himself for the guilt he felt about that. Zuko’s lifetime of bad choices wasn’t his responsibility.

Their shopping was uneventful in the most frustrating possible. It was almost nice. Almost like a casual date between two people who weren’t fighters. Zuko bought Sokka a nice necklace. Sokka talked Zuko into buying a shirt that suited his skin tone well.

Zuko always tensed when people passed by him on his left. Sokka noted this and walked on Zuko’s left himself, acting as a buffer. It was for strategic reasons.

For an hour or so, Sokka had fun. Actual fun. He gave up on berating himself for letting his guard down around the enemy, and just…shopped with a cute guy.

He’d earned it, hadn’t he? He’d earned one night where his focus wasn’t on war, even if as soon as he got back to the house he was going to rat Zuko out to the rest of the team. It wasn’t like doing anything else besides having fun would help the war effort.

It was a perfect facsimile of youthful romance. Sokka felt like crying. He didn’t, of course. Why couldn’t he just go on a date with someone who hadn’t ever tried to kill him?

Finally, they made their way back to the Jasmine Dragon. There was still a light on in one of the upstairs windows, where the apartments were. Mushi was waiting for his nephew. Sokka would probably never understand the two of them, and the thought made him oddly sad. He didn’t want to know about them besides for tactical purposes. It was more…a general sadness. A recognition that the scope of their enemies was far beyond what Sokka could comprehend. It was far easier to see them as totally inhuman.

“Can I walk you home?” Zuko asked.

Shit. If Zuko showed up at the house, one of the gang would definitely wake up and come down to see the boy Toph had no doubt told them about.

“No, I’ll be fine. Thanks for the offer,” Sokka said. “Have a nice night!”

Zuko thrust something at him. Sokka looked down to see a coupon for one free cup of tea.

“For your next visit,” he said.

Sokka’s next visit would most likely be with Earth Kingdom soldiers in tow to arrest Zuko and Mushi. They might have information that could help the invasion succeed. Even if they didn’t, they couldn’t let two rogue elements operate freely in Ba Sing Se. Not when they were so close.

“Thanks,” Sokka said.

He kissed Zuko on the cheek, turned, and walked away.

Hopefully, one day, that kiss would buy him a moment of hesitation.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr at theandromedarecord  
> and twitter @artfromandy


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